Cancer screening and early detection

Cancer screening

The aim of cancer screening programmes is to pick up very early cancers in healthy individuals, who do not have symptoms. The test helps to decide if they are at high or low risk for developing the cancer. Screening does notdiagnose the cancer. Further tests will be needed to decide if an individual does or does not have cancer.

Early detection

The early detection of cancer means finding cancer before there are symptoms or as soon as possible after they develop. Its aim is to find the cancer before it has time to spread to other parts of the body.